Marking plate



Oct. 26 1926.

G. C. HEMENWAY MARKING PLATE Filed Oct. 20, 1924 IN V EN TOR. a Ht/Il'ithd 711% A TTORNE S.

Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. HEMENXVAY, 0F nnwyogax, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 HAMPDEN MANUFACTUR- ING (30., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MARKING PLATE.

Application filed October 20, 1924. Serial No. 744,627.

This invention has reference, generally, to improvements in detachable marking plates for use in connection with drawers, boxes, shelves, lockers, sample boards, or in any other connection in which it is desired to apply a device upon which may be marked da a relating to the indentification, quantity, quality or other information referring to the content of the place or receptacle so marked.

lhe invention has for its principal object to provide aneasily attached, neat and sightly, and yet strong and durable marking tablet or plate, which is furnished with a marking surface u on which may be erasably marked such data as may be desired, and which is subject to change if desired. The invention also seeks to provide a marking tablet or plate with a double fastening means of the thumb-tack type, whereby the attachment of the plate in a desired location may be effected without the use of toolsmerely by manually applying pressure to the face of the plate to force the fastening points into holding relation to a shelf, box, board, or the like; although the construction of the device is nevertheless such that sufiicient strength and durability is inherently provided as to permit of driving the same into place by blows of a hammer or like tool, in the event the same is desiredto be attached to unusually hard wood or similar material. By reason of its novel double shank or double pointed fastening elements, the tablet or plate is not only firmly and securely held in a desired attached position, but is also retained against swiveling, turning or other similar displacement from such desired attached position, and yet the same may be easily and quickly removed from one location and placed in another location, without likelihood of injury, and is, therefore, capa ble of being used over and over again.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a, fragmentary perspective view of shelving or the like, to which the novel construction of marking tablets or plates, made according to and embodying the rinciples of this invention, are applied. Figure .2 is a front face View of my novel marking tablet or plate, drawn on an enlarged scale; Figure 3 is a rear face or back view of the same; Figure l is an edge elevation of the same; Figure 5 is a central longitudinal vertical section through the same; and Figure 6 is a front face view with under lying parts progressively broken away to show the internal interrelation of the same in making up the structure of the marking tablet or plate.

Figure 7 is a front face view showing a variation of shape of my novel marking tablet or plate.

Figure 8 is in part a side or edge elevation and in part a central longitudinal section of my novel marking tablet or plate, equipped with modified forms of fastening shanks, which are of annealed or bendable metal to permit of extension through a perforated metallic wall, such as a metallic locker door, whereupon the same may be turned over against the back of said wall, to thus secure the marking tablet or plate in place.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings, the reference character l indicates a body plate provided with an upwardly o1 forwardly turned peripheral flange 2, to thus provide the body plate with a shallow dish-like interior. Said body plate 1 is stamped or otherwise formed out of sheet metal or other tough rigid material, and is provided with a plurality of suitably located and spaced apart perforations 3, preferably alined, however, with the longitudinal central axis of the body plate. The fastening means with which the same is equipped. consists of sharp pointed thumb-tak elements, eah

comprising a disclike head l provided with an outwardly projecting shank of tem pered steel the free Xtremity of which is wrought to a sharp needle-like point 6. In assembling the fastening means with the body plate 1, the disc-like heads i are positioned in the dish like interior of the oo plate 1, with their respective shanks tending through the respective perforations 3 of the body-platc 1, so as to project rearwardly from the back or outer face of said body-plate 1. The large disc-like heads l, when thus arranged within the body plate, give stability and than. anchorage for the 110 plate 1. Said inlay plate 7 serves as akeepor for retaining the heads 1 of the fastening means against undue play or movement.

when the same are operatively assembled with said body-plate 1.

V The reference character 8 indicates a backing plate, which corresponds in peripheral outline and size to the peripheral outline and size of the flanged body-plate 1, so

that the same may be superimposed upon the latter and over said inlay-plate 7, with the marginal portions of the backing plate registered with and resting against or upon the free edges of the flange 2 of said backing plate 1. The backing plate 8 is also made of sheet metal or other suitablerigid material.

Supported upon the outer face or surface of said backing plate is a tablet sheet '9 of I an inscribable material upon which inscriptionof any desired data, legend or the like may be made by the user. I prefer to employ as the inscribable tablet sheet 9 a material such as celluloid, upon which markings in either pencil or ink may be made by the user, and which markings, when thus made may be erased for the effecting of any alterations or changes as to the inscription WlllCh it may suit the user to make from time to time.

While I prefer to employ celluloid as the inscribable material, I do not limit myself to the sole use of such ma: terial, for I may also use paper, cardboard or any other material suitable to receive desired inscriptions.

When the parts thus far described are as- 'sembled together in operative relation, I apply thereto a marginal binding 10 of metal or other suitable material which firmly and securely retains all the parts in the desired assembled relation, while at the same time the surface of the tablet sheet 9 is exposed for application thereto of desired inscriptions.

hen the device is completed by the application of the marginal binding in the manner above described, the same is ready for use. In applying the same to a wooden board, shelf edge or other desired surface, the rearwardly projecting pointed shanks 5 are placed against the surface and pres sure is applied to the face of the device, so as to force the pointed shanks to penetrate the wood, thus attaching the device in place ready foruse. The plurality ofpointed fastening shanks with Which the device is provided, assures stability of placement of the device when attached in given location free from movement such as twisting, turning or pivoting, so that the user may inscribe or alter inscriptions on a firm and immovably supported tablet surface. The sharp needle-like steel points 6 with which the shanks 5 are provided assure easy penet-rability of the latter into wood or similar material merely by the application ofmanual pressure. If. however, it is desired to attach the device to a more resistant material, such as extraordinarily hard wood, the device may be driven by the blows of a hammer, since the assembled construction of the parts of the device assures a strongand rigid construction in which the several parts tend to reenforce and stiffen each other, so that likelihood of injuring the device. by the hammer blows is quite remote. From the above it will be apparent that the device is as easily attached in or detached from a desired location as would be an ordinary thumb-tack, and yetris nevertheless firmly held in such desired location.

The backing plate '8 being. supported at its marginal edge portions at all points against the edges of theflange 20f the body-plate 1, while at the same time being braced against inward bending or buckling by the underlying inlay plate 7, servesin turn as a firm support for the inscribable tablet sheet 9, so that the latter will notbe indented or its inscription receiving surface likely to be injured when written upon or otherwise inscribed by the user.

In Figures 1 to 6 inclusive I have shown the novel marking tablet or plate to be of an elongated shape. Its outline shape, however, is subject to considerable variation; for example it may be given any desired rectangular outline shape. as illustrated in Figure f the drawings; or in fact may be other than rectangular in shape if desired.

Referring now to Figure 8 of thefldrawings, I have shown a slight modification of :my novel marking tablet or plate, the construction of which corresponds to that'already above described, as isindi-cated by the application thereto of corresponding characters of reference, except that the fastening devices consisting of disc-like heads 4' are provided with annealed or bendable shanks 5, which may be blunt ended. The marking tablet or plate in this modified form is particularly adapted for application to metallic walls 11, such as locker walls or doors, which are first provided with perforations 12, through which the shanks 5"may be inserted, so as to be thereupon bent over the rear side of such wall, to thereby hold the device in position.

It will be understood that my novel marking tablet or plate may be made in various sizes to suit conditions of use, and also that thumb-tack heads, a backing plate overlying said inlay plate and registered upon the edge of said peripheral flange, an inscribable tablet sheet supported by said backing plate, and a continuous metallic binding member enveloping the registered peripheries of said flanged body member, backing plate and tablet sheet to retain the elements of the device in assembled relation.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand 25 this 15th day of October, 1924.

GEORGE C. HEMENWAY. 

